Our gut microbiome plays a crucial role in digestion, immune function, and overall well-being. No matter how well we take care of ourselves or how healthy we are, there are times when we need to resort to antibiotics to combat infections and illnesses. While antibiotics can be life-saving, they can also disrupt the delicate balance of our gut microbiota, potentially leading to other digestive issues. In this post, I will explore what you can do to support and protect your gut health when you have to take antibiotics.
How antibiotics work
Antibiotics are potent medications designed to combat bacterial infections. Bacterial infections can crop up on their own when our immune system is down and also crop up after your body has been busy fighting other infections, like viruses. They work by targeting specific aspects of bacterial cells, inhibiting their growth or destroying them altogether.
There are different classes of antibiotics that can target specific types of bacterial infections, but unfortunately, antibiotics are not always selective. When antibiotics enter your system, they can't differentiate between harmful bacteria causing the infection and the beneficial bacteria in your gut. This disruption can lead to an imbalance in your gut microbiota, often referred to as dysbiosis, and eventually a leaky gut.
Signs of gut imbalance during or post-antibiotic use
Digestive Issues. One of the most common signs of gut disruption during or post-antibiotic treatment is digestive discomfort. This may manifest as stomach pain, bloating, cramping, or irregular bowel movements.
Diarrhea and/or constipation. Antibiotic-associated diarrhea is a well-documented side effect. It occurs due to the disturbance in the gut microbiota, which can lead to the overgrowth of certain harmful bacteria (the dysbiosis I mentioned above). This can last the duration of your antibiotic protocol following for up to a week.
Candida Overgrowth. Antibiotics can create an environment conducive to the overgrowth of Candida, a type of yeast. This can result in a condition known as candidiasis, causing symptoms like yeast infections, rashes, itching, and oral thrush.
Strategies to Support Your Gut During and Following Antibiotic Treatment
These strategies will not only help you to better maintain the integrity of the makeup of the gut microbiome but will support the entire digestive process so that it isn’t too disrupted and can continue on in a functional way once your round of antibiotics is complete.
Take probiotics, but not just any probiotics. Taking a probiotic while also taking an antibiotic can make your antibiotic more effective. It can also help to prevent or reduce some of the side effects of taking the antibiotic like diarrhea or dysbiosis. Not all probiotics are created equal. Selecting the right strains that align with your specific needs can make a significant difference in restoring gut balance. When you take your probiotic matters too. I usually recommend taking them away from the antibiotic if possible by 2-4 hours. If it is just too stressful to manage that, taking them at the same time is okay too. My favorite probiotics to incorporate during this time and that are well-researched include s.boulardii (which is actually yeast) and lactobacillus/bifidobacterium blends. Florastor is a great s.boulardii product you can find on Amazon or your local pharmacy like CVS or Walgreens. I like the lactobacillus/bifidobacterium blend bio-kult a lot as well. Take each package as directed and take until you finish the package.
Feed your gut with pre AND probiotic foods. As mentioned, our digestive tract is home to a whole host of bacteria. Some are beneficial and some not so great, but we want to help support and feed the good bacteria we’ve got left by eating pre and probiotic-rich foods. Oftentimes, by eating these foods we can crowd out some of the bacteria that are causing the problems in the gut. Prebiotic foods include things like mushrooms, onions, garlic, plantains, bananas, artichokes, asparagus, cooked and cooled potatoes, and rice. Probiotic foods include sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, kefir, and kombucha.
Consume gut-healing nutrients. This can help to calm inflammation and support the digestive process. These nutrients include slippery elm, marshmallow root, and/or Throat Coat tea (I love the Traditional Medicinals brand), pure aloe vera juice (my favorite is the Lily of the Desert brand), collagen (Perfect Supplements is my go-to for this), and collagen-rich foods like bone broth, slow-cooked meat on the bone, and zinc-rich foods like shellfish (oysters are amazing for zinc!), seafood, eggs, hemp seeds and pumpkin seeds. This is a great time to eat all of your favorite soups and stews.
Staying Hydrated. Adequate hydration is essential for a healthy gut and making sure you are drinking enough pure and filtered water is essential for digestion to work properly. Water also helps maintain mucosal lining integrity and is one of the main components in keeping your food moving through the entire digestive process. The large intestine absorbs the remaining water from your waste and preps it to exit the body. If there isn’t enough water by this point, your waste will become too dry and hard to pass, causing constipation. A good general baseline is to drink about half your body weight in ounces per pound of body weight.
Nourish the body with minerals. The body requires adequate amounts of minerals like potassium, sodium, calcium, and zinc in order for the digestive process to function as it should. Making sure you are eating plenty of mineral-rich foods will allow the process of digestion and nutrient absorption to work better. Foods to eat in abundance include fruits, root vegetables, meat, organs, bone broth, seaweed, beans, nuts and seeds, and raw dairy. Also, make sure you are eating enough real and/or sea salt daily, adding it to your food to taste and sprinkling it in your water if you are not taking electrolytes.
Avoiding Certain Foods and Drinks. During and following antibiotic treatment, it's advisable to limit the consumption of sugary, processed foods and alcohol, as they can exacerbate gut issues. Try sticking with whole foods as much as you can during your treatment and following for up to a week or so.
Work on stress management. Chronic stress creates two main issues for your gut. One - digestion is meant to happen when we are in a relaxed state so it will not function properly if we are stressed. Two - chronic stress is also not great for healing. When you are stressed, the body is not prioritizing healing functions at all, it is prioritizing your survival and the focus is on that. It is important to incorporate daily practices to calm your stress and get you out of the sympathetic state. You could time in nature, meditate, do breathwork, journal, and more. Find what will work for you and make it a non-negotiable.
Curious to learn more about your symptoms and where in the digestive process things may be going wrong, but are not ready to work with me? Check out my FREE Gut Assessment. I provide some additional tips for troubleshooting certain symptoms.